Zoom (partially lost revival of PBS children's series; 1999-2005)
Zoom was a live-action children's series that aired from January 4th, 1999, to May 6th, 2005, produced by WGBH (now GBH) that aired on PBS. It was a revival of another live-action series of the same name that aired from 1972-1978. The show is in the same vain as other popular children's shows that aired on PBS like Sesame Street and The Electric Company, but its cast is made up of kids ages 8 and up and perform various activities like games, plays, poems, songs, and would occasionally start conversations on various topics like prejudice and hospitals, with most topics being submitted by the home audience. The revival became a ratings winner for PBS and switched to the channel's children's block "PBS Kids" halfway through the show's first season. The revival lasted 7 seasons with 200 episodes (outliving its precursor in episode length), ending in May 2005 due to poor ratings.[1]
Availability
The revival only saw four home media releases in the form of four VHS tapes that were released between 1999 and 2002. After PBS Kids stopped rerunning the show in 2007, a large majority of the show's run has never been seen since and is mostly lost.
As of November 2022, all episodes from seasons 2-7 and 14 episodes from season 1 have been found and uploaded onto YouTube by user ZOOMFan1.
Uploads of Season 1
Unfortunately, by the time ZOOMFan1 started watching, season 1 would only be syndicated once more from December 2002 to January 2003 and episodes 105-133 that were originally a part of the season would be skipped over.
Also, he accidentally taped over one of the episodes that aired during the time he recorded season 1 (136) and the episode also has yet to surface online in its entirety.
So far, episodes 105-108, 110, 111, 113-129, 131-133 and 136 are the only episodes that are currently unavailable online in their entirety, making them impossible to find. Unless somebody has a recording of all the missing episodes of the first season, they will hopefully upload them online.
Lost Footage
Many segments that were filmed for the show remain unaired. Some, if not all of them, are available on the website.
Until the entire first season is uploaded, it can be presumed that all unaired segments from it were released on the "Party With ZOOM" VHS.
Below is a list of lost segments from 27 missing episodes from season 1 and unaired segments from seasons 2-7, gathered from information provided on the website over the years.
Season 1
ZOOMsci
Season & Episode | Name | Status |
---|---|---|
S1E5 | Plants | Found |
S1E5 | Cup Tower | Found |
S1E6 | Spool Racers | Found |
S1E7 | Film Canister Rockets | Found |
S1E7(?) | Tongue Roller Survey | Lost |
S1E8 | Plastic Bag Parachute | Found |
S1E10 | Newspaper Tower | Found |
S1E11 | Box Arch | Found |
S1E11 | Bug Survey | Found |
S1E13 | Color Symphony | Lost |
S1E14 | Balloon Cars | Lost |
S1E15 | Baking Soda Vinegar Boat | Found |
S1E16 | Windmills | Found |
S1E17 | Newspaper Chair | Found |
S1E17 | Moldy Soup | Found |
S1E18 | Cantilever | Found |
S1E19 | Egg Drop | Found |
S1E20 | Glider | Lost |
S1E21 | Compost & Biodome | Lost |
S1E22(?) | Rocking Structure | Found |
S1E23 | Playing Card Structure | Lost |
S1E24 | Strongest Shape | Found (Poor-Quality) |
S1E24 | Marshmallow and Toothpick Shapes | Lost |
S1E25 | Germinator | Found |
S1E25 | Straw Bridge | Lost |
S1E26 | Baking Soda Submarines | Found |
S1E27 | How Long to Walk Around the World | Lost |
S1E27 | Egg Drop II | Found (Poor-Quality) |
S1E28 | Junk Boats | Lost |
S1E29 | Newspaper Tower II | Found |
S1E31 | Salt Pendulum | Lost |
S1E32(?) | Waterwheel | Lost |
ZOOMdo
Season & Episode | Name | Status |
---|---|---|
S1E5 | String Sculpture | Found |
S1E6 | Bean Mosaic | Found |
S1E7 | Tie-Dye T-Shirt | Lost |
S1E8 | Pet Can | Found |
S1E10(?) | Glamorous Glitter Eggs | Lost |
S1E13 | Rainstick | Found |
S1E14(?) | Sawdust Art | Found |
S1E15 | Flipbook | Found |
S1E15(?) | Comic Book File Box | Lost |
S1E17(?) | Magazine Beads | Lost |
S1E18 | Paintings | Found |
S1E19 | Gum-Wrapper Bracelet | Found |
S1E20(?) | Worry Doll | Lost |
S1E23 | Silly Serpent | Lost |
S1E24 | Straw Weaving | Lost |
S1E25 | Friendship Bracelet | Lost |
S1E26(?) | Nylon Racket | Found |
S1E27 | Pantyhose Face Doll | Lost |
S1E28 | Papier-Mache Bowls | Lost |
S1E32 | Homemade Paper | Found |
S1E33 | Yarn Doll | Lost |
Café ZOOM
Season & Episode | Name | Status |
---|---|---|
S1E8 | Pizza Bagels | Found |
S1E10 | Banana On a Stick | Found |
S1E11 | Homemade Ice Cream | Found |
S1E14(?) | Marshmallow Mountain | Lost |
S1E16 | ZOOMspread | Found |
S1E18(?) | Lemon Slush | Lost |
S1E19 | Homemade Pretzels | Found |
S1E20 | Yogurt Parfaits | Lost |
S1E21 | Tortilla Sandwiches | Lost |
S1E23 | Baked Apples | Found |
S1E24 | Peanut Butter Treats | Lost |
S1E26 | Fabulous Fruit Kabobs | Lost |
S1E27(?) | Pinwheel Cookies | Lost |
S1E28(?) | Stained Glass Cookies | Lost |
S1E29 | Calzone | Lost |
S1E31(?) | Bagel Faces | Lost |
S1E32(?) | Apple Triangles | Lost |
S1E36 | Smoothies | Found |
ZOOMalong
Season & Episode | Name | Status |
---|---|---|
S1E6 | Water/Balloon Trick | Found |
S1E7 | Unknown with Pablo | Lost |
S1E11 | Magnet Hands | Found |
S1E13 | Paper Worm | Found |
S1E16 | Door Trick | Found |
S1E20 | Unknown with Zoe | Lost |
S1E21 | Cup Game with Words | Lost |
S1E22 | Unknown with Jared | Lost |
S1E25 | Penny Trick | Lost |
S1E26(?) | Hoop Glider | Found |
S1E28(?) | Walking Through Paper | Lost |
S1E29 | The Flying Trick | Lost |
S1E36 | Paper Helicopter | Found |
ZOOMgames
Season & Episode | Name | Status |
---|---|---|
S1E5(?) | Ice Transfer | Found |
S1E6 | The Slide | Lost |
S1E7 | Peanut Roll Race | Found |
S1E8 | Human Knot | Found |
S1E8 | Snatch the Hanky | Found |
S1E10 | Dots | Found |
S1E10 | Bubblegum Race | Lost |
S1E10(?) | Octopus Tag | Lost |
S1E11(?) | Jellybean Transfer | Lost |
S1E11 | Simon Says Not | Found |
S1E13 | Dr. Pretzel | Lost |
S1E14 | The Cup Game | Partially Found |
S1E15 | Cracker Whistle | Found |
S1E16 | Feelings | Found |
S1E16 | Beetle | Found |
S1E16(?) | Tag | Found |
S1E17(?) | Concentration | Found |
S1E17(?) | Card Trick | Found (Listed as "Card Trick 2") |
S1E18 | Walk On Your Knees | Found |
S1E19 | The Wind Blows | Lost |
S1E20(?) | Balloon Bounce On Head Relay | Lost |
S1E21 | Head Ball Race | Found |
S1E22 | Paper and Straws Game | Lost |
S1E23(?) | Back-To-Back Dash | Lost |
S1E24 | Funny Bones | Lost |
S1E25(?) | Shoe Relay | Lost |
S1E26(?) | Turkey Chase | Lost |
S1E26(?) | Ping Pong Circle | Found |
S1E27(?) | Staring Contest | Found (Poor-Quality) |
S1E28 | Water Balloon Fight | Lost |
S1E28 | Pileup | Lost |
S1E29 | Bubble Race | Lost |
S1E31 | Wink (1 | 2 | 3) | Found (Poor-Quality) |
S1E32 | Unknown | Lost |
S1E33(?) | Down Down Baby Clapping Game | Lost |
S1E33(?) | Toe-To-Toe | Lost |
S1E36 | Unknown | Lost |
Zingers
Season & Episode | Name | Status |
---|---|---|
S1E5(?) | Ball Lift | Found |
S1E6 | Back-to-Back Zinger | Found |
S1E7(?) | Head-to-Head Spin | Lost |
S1E8 | Haha | Found |
S1E11 | Toss 'n Clap | Found |
S1E11 | Toothpick Puzzles | Found |
S1E13(?) | Knot Zinger | Found |
S1E14(?) | Psychic Zinger | Found |
S1E15(?) | Sock Zinger | Found |
S1E16(?) | Guess What | Found |
S1E17(?) | Body Zinger | Found |
S1E18 | Headstands | Lost |
S1E18 | Homonyms II | Found |
S1E19 | Sucking Lemon Wedges | Found |
S1E20 | Step Through Your Arms | Lost |
S1E22 | Sour Candies | Lost |
S1E22 | Word Game | Found |
S1E23 | Balloon Bouncing | Found |
S1E24(?) | Draw Your Name On Your Forehead | Lost |
S1E25 | Penny Drops | Found |
S1E26(?) | Card Trick 2 | Found (Part 2 is Listed as Part 1) |
S1E27(?) | Write Your Name With Your Toes | Lost |
S1E28(?) | Name 10 Body Parts Using 3 Letters | Lost |
S1E31(?) | Group Juggling | Lost |
S1E32(?) | Run, Rabbit Run | Lost |
S1E33(?) | Connect Nine Dots | Lost |
S1E36 | Shoelace Zinger | Found |
S1E36(?) | Alphabet Nonsense | Lost |
ZOOMplayhouse
Season & Episode | Name | Status |
---|---|---|
S1E6 | The Mixed-Up Genie | Lost |
S1E7(?) | Name unknown that featured Jared playing a TV talk show host interviewing Greek gods played by David and Zoe | Lost |
S1E13 | Trouble In Candy Kingdom | Found |
S1E15 | Where's Your Homework? | Found |
S1E19 | The Present | Partially Lost |
S1E21 | Little Red Riding Hood: An Ubbi Dubbi Fairy Tale | Lost |
S1E22 | The Fortune Teller | Found |
S1E29 | The Sweet Roll | Found (Poor-Quality) |
S1E31(?) | The Bus Ride | Lost |
Ubbi Dubbi Skits
Season & Episode | Name | Status |
---|---|---|
S1E5(?) | Singing Voice | Found |
S1E6(?) | Sneezing Powder | Found |
S1E7 | Unknown | Lost |
S1E8 | Unknown | Lost |
S1E10 | Unknown | Lost |
S1E11 | Cough Drops | Found |
S1E13 | Zoe Teaching | Lost |
S1E14 | Unknown | Lost |
S1E15(?) | Giant Pencil | Found |
S1E16 | Unknown | Lost |
S1E17 | Weather Report: Earthquake | Found |
S1E18 | Jokes | Found |
S1E19 | Chips and Dip | Found |
S1E20 | Peanut Butter | Lost |
S1E21(?) | Hiccups | Lost |
S1E22 | Zoe's Flea Circus (not an ubbi dubbi skit) | Found |
S1E23 | Keiko the Magician (unknown if it's an Ubbi Dubbi skit) | Lost |
S1E24 | Jared and Mr. Bones I | Lost |
S1E25(?) | Spot the ZOOM dog I | Found |
S1E25(?) | Spot the ZOOM dog II | Lost |
S1E26(?) | Weather Report: Sun | Lost |
S1E27(?) | Unknown | Lost |
S1E28 | Row, Row, Row Your Boat (singing in a round) | Lost |
S1E29(?) | Jared the Chef I | Found (Poor-Quality) |
S1E31 | Unknown | Lost |
S1E32 | Unknown | Lost |
S1E33 | Jared the Chef II | Lost |
S1E36 | Unknown Weather Skit | Lost |
ZOOMChats
Season & Episode | Name | Status |
---|---|---|
S1E5 | Siblings | Lost |
S1E8 | Competition | Found |
S1E10 | Being Left Out | Lost |
S1E15(?) | Embarrassing Moments | Found |
S1E17(?) | Friends | Found |
S1E18 | Boys and Girls | Found |
S1E23 | Meeting New People | Lost |
S1E25(?) | In 10 Years | Found |
S1E26 | Peer Pressure | Found |
S1E29(?) | Family Relations | Lost |
S1E32 | Popularity | Found |
S1E36 | Unknown | Lost |
ZMails
Season & Episode | Name | Status |
---|---|---|
S1E5 | With Lynese, Pablo, David and Zoe | Found |
S1E6 | With Zoe, Pablo and David | Found |
S1E13 | Unknown | Lost |
S1E14 | Unknown | Lost |
S1E16 | Unknown | Lost |
S1E19 | Unknown | Lost |
S1E20 | Unknown | Lost |
S1E21 | With Keiko, David, Jared and Pablo | Found |
S1E22 | With Lynese, Pablo, Keiko and Alisa | Found |
S1E28 | Unknown | Lost |
S1E31 | Unknown | Lost |
S1E33 | Unknown | Lost |
S1E36 | Unknown | Lost |
Additional Segments
In addition to the above, most segments that didn't feature the ZOOMers ("ZOOMGuest", "What's Zup?", etc.) are at large. Other miscellaneous things, such as jokes, poems, the "Today on ZOOM" openings (some of which, in season 1, would feature a ZOOMer introducing the episode's ZOOMAlong) and the stingers after the credits also remain at large.
Season 2
ZOOMDo
- Kaleidoscope (made by Kenny; briefly seen in episode 233 at the 26:33 mark)
- Bubble Stationary and Homemade Envelopes (made by Zoe)
Cafe ZOOM
- Purple Cow (made by Jessie; two versions filmed)
- Banana Juice (made by Jessie; two versions filmed)
- Orange Dream Soda (made by Jessie; two versions filmed)
- Root Beer Float (made by Jessie (?))
ZOOMSci
- Mirror Maze (with Jessie (?), Caroline (?), Alisa (?) and Ray (?))
ZOOMGames
- Rota
- Hop The Pawn
- Category Cards
- Indoor Bottle Blowing
- Thrower
- Alphabet Conversation
- Marble Toes
- Charades (also played in season 1)
- Book Balance On Head Relay
- ZOOM and Erp
ZOOMPhenom
- ZOOMRoom Card Trick (with Kenny and Zoe (?))
- Keep In Chair (with Ray and Claudio; also done in season 3 with Frances and Rachel)
- Compass (with Claudio)
- Paper Fold (with Zoe (?))
- House Number Game (possibly unfilmed; website does not provide image)
- Hand/Foot Coordination (with Caroline (?), Jessie, Kenny and Alisa (?))
Season 3
ZOOMDo
- Sponge Stationary (with Frances)
- Pocket Pouch (with Caroline (?))
- Masks (with Eric)
Cafe ZOOM
- Apple Sailboat, Celery Wagon and Mouse In a Cage (with Frances (?))
- Salsa (with Eric (?))
Znack
- Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich (with Eric)
- Trail Mix (with Kaleigh (?))
ZOOMGame
- Equation Bingo
- Squat Relay
- Water Tug of War
- Nim
- Rhyming Pairs
- Jump The Creek (with everyone but either Rachel or Frances)
- Carolyn's Word Game
Season 4
ZOOMDo
- Collage (all ZOOMers)
- Recycled Junk Creature (with Kaleigh, Aline, Rachel, and Matt)
- Jean Pocket Bag and Jean Leftovers (with Rachel (?))
ZOOMGame
- On a Roll (a brief shot of this is seen in the opening)
- Going On a Picnic
- Pass The Stick
- Mixed-Up Sports Relay
Season 5
ZOOMDo
- Marionettes (with Estuardo)
- Yarn Cards (with Aline (?) in season 7 by Kyle and Kortney)
Cafe ZOOM
- Nana's Cookies (with Caroline)
Znack
- Tuna Canoes (with Kortney (?))
ZOOMGame
- Musical Clothes
- Tails (a brief shot of this is seen in the opening)
- Dictionary Game
ZOOMSci
- Drop on Pennies II (with Mike (?) and Caroline (?))
- Pennies and Water (with Mike and Caroline (?))
- Soap-powered Boat II
Season 6
ZOOMDos
- Potato Beads (also made by Shing Ying and Emily in season 7; a shot of Emily holding up a bead-lined skewer looks similar to the website photo; however, as that photo was first released in April 2004, it may have still been made in season 6)
Cafe ZOOM
- Buffalo Wings (with Francesco (?) and Cara (?))
- Corndogs (with Kyle (?) and Kortney (?))
- Eggboats (with Francesco (?); not to be confused with the sci in season 3 of the same name)
ZOOMSci
- Game Timer
- Secret Candy Safe
ZOOMGame
None, although The Cup Game (originally played in season one, also played in season 7) and All About You (played in season 5), were listed as "new" when season 6 premiered.
Season 7
ZOOMDo
- Balloon Badminton (with Noreen)
- High Bouncy Ball
- Sweater Mittens (with Taylor)
Cafe ZOOM
- Monkey Bread (with Taylor (?) and Noreen (?))
- Homemade Applesauce (with Kyle (?) and Francesco (?))
Znack
- Lettuce Boats (with Nick (?) and Kyle (?)
ZOOMGame
- 3-Ball Football
- Balloon Badminton
ZOOMSci
- Deliver a Message (with Nick and Francesco)
ZOOMPlayhouse
- Clever Jackyl (briefly shown in episode 709 at the 14:02 mark)
- How Ubbi Dubbi Was Started
Remastering of Earlier Seasons
In 2002, the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation began to fund ZOOM. For continuity's sake, the funding credits of all previous episodes were updated to include this.
Season 1 returned to PBS stations in January 2002 to be shown regularly for the first time since September 2000 (a few episodes had been broadcast on some stations in March 2001, but the season had otherwise disappeared from rotation since). Advertised as an "encore presentation" on the website, the season was broadcast on Mondays through Thursdays from January 21 to June 7. Aside from the first episode and the special "The Making of ZOOM," which began and ended the cycle, respectively, all episodes were aired twice on most stations. At the same time, a new, fourth season of the show began premiering on Fridays and aired new episodes up to that point.
After this, season four aired exclusively on weekdays until August, when season 2 began to re-air. As was the case with season 1, it aired on Mondays through Thursdays while the show's fourth season took the Friday timeslot. This continued until December. All episodes of the season were reaired twice on most stations aside from the first; a re-airing of "The Making of ZOOM" on the Thursday of the final week signified the end of the cycle.
During these airings of the first two seasons, the episodes were shown in their remastered forms on local stations. Both of the seasons had originally contained a short segment known as "ZOOM a Cum Laude," in which the ZOOMers would give kids acknowledgment and credit for their work on certain things. During the third season, this segment was removed and replaced with a new one called "ZOOM Into Action," which was similar but focused more on volunteering.
For continuity's sake, local airings of the first two seasons removed the original "ZOOM a Cum Laude" segments and replaced them with "ZOOM Into Action" ones. Because these new segments were made well after the first two seasons were filmed, they didn't show the cast of those seasons or have them narrating, like the original "ZOOM a Cum Laude" segments did.
In addition to this, season 2 saw many of the 30-second stingers originally shown at the end of the episodes shortened to 15 seconds or replaced with a short, 15-second web advertisement.
After a short period from December 2002 to January 2003, season 1 was rerun on Mondays through Thursdays, with season four once again taking the Friday timeslot. Season 3 began re-airing immediately after. Following the pattern of the first two seasons, it aired on Mondays through Thursdays, while season 4 took the Friday timeslot as usual. The show's fifth season premiered on March 31, 2003, and interrupted the cycle for a week of new episodes; it was regulated to Fridays only the following week, while the third season returned to the Mondays through Thursdays timeslot. This continued until early June. During this time, all episodes of the third season except for episodes 301, 321, 322 and 340 were aired twice on most stations.
Like season 2, local broadcasts of season 3 saw the original stingers for the episodes shortened to 15 seconds or replaced with 15-second website advertisements. In addition to this, a short clip originally shown at the beginning of the first episode was removed. Taking the place of the standard "Today on ZOOM" opening, it featured returning ZOOMers Kenny and Caroline welcoming viewers back to the show and introducing the new season. In later airings, this was replaced with a standard "Today on ZOOM." (It should be noted that this was only used a few times before the episode's final airing on local stations, which preempted it for "ZOOM Out The Vote!" promos.)
WGBY Airings and Availability
Despite these edits remaining permanent in all further airings of the episodes on local stations, WGBH's own station, WGBY, continued to show the episodes almost exactly as they were originally shown. Although ZOOMFan1 started recording the show in 2002, he mainly recorded it on the WGBY station.
Although two episodes of season 1 (101 and 104) and one episode of season 2 (234) in his uploaded collection are local versions, they appear to be no different from the WGBY versions at the time. There is no "ZOOM Into Actions" on any of them, suggesting no "ZOOM a Cum Laude" was shown on WGBY, and episode 234 has its 30-second stinger intact. However, ZOOMFan1 has since recalled seeing a "ZOOM a Cum Laude" be featured in the WGBY broadcast of episode 104.
The season 3 recordings, meanwhile, contain six local episode broadcasts. They are episodes 306, 307, 311, 315, 326, and 329, respectively. Interestingly, the recording of episode 326 contains a 30-second stinger and the original funding credits. In contrast, the recording of episode 318, despite being a WGBY broadcast, contains the updated funding credits and a 15-second stinger.
While it is unknown for sure what the true stingers for episodes 306, 307, 311, 315, 318 and 329 are, it can be approximated. Episode 306 contains an "Ubbi Dubbi Man" skit, and the true stinger for all other episodes containing said skit was a website advertisement relating to it. So 306 most likely featured that. Episodes 307 and 311 contain shortened versions of stingers that appear as regular, 30-second ones on WGBY recordings of other episodes; it's fairly safe to assume that those were the original stingers for these episodes. Episode 315 most likely featured the web advertisement relating to the play "Time-Out!" that is shown at the end of episodes 324 and 326, as 315 was the episode that featured said play. The recordings of episodes 318 and 329 each feature 15-second clips that are continuations of games shown earlier in their respective episode. Several other true stingers feature these, so it's safe to assume that the true stingers for these episodes were simply longer versions (ZOOMFan1 remembers 318's containing another round of the game shown). If so, these are the only material from season 3 (aside from the local opening used for episode 301) that are currently missing.
In short, season 3 remained entirely unedited from its original broadcast when WGBY aired it after the remastering. The first two seasons, however, are a different story.
Permanent Disappearance of Material From First Two Seasons
One thing notably absent from most of ZOOMFan1's ten episodes is the ZOOM, a Cum Laude segment. The only episodes to feature it are 102 (as a stinger), 103, and 137. According to ZOOMFan1, episode 136 did not feature one either.
While the episodes to feature the ZOOM a Cum Laude segment run 28:25, all but two of the episodes that don't feature it (138 and 140, respectively) run about 30 seconds shorter. Since ZOOM a Cum Laude were about this length in the first season, it can be assumed that they were featured in the original broadcasts for these episodes, only to be permanently removed from all stations after the remastering. A very abrupt cut in the recording of episode 135 (at the 24:06 mark) appears to be evidence of the episodes being edited.
Additional evidence of edits in the remastering comes from KrisTheKnight's 2008-2009 clips from the season. In 2016, YouTube user Adam Suckenick discovered that the ending to the "Fun Shaped Jell-O" Cafe ZOOM segment contained different music in ZOOMFan1 and KrisTheKnight's respective uploads of the clip and the episode featuring it and that the screen faded purple on the former's version and green on the latter's. Because of this, the ZOOM a Cum Laude segment in episode 139 after the "Fun Shaped Jell-O" Cafe ZOOM segment was cut out in the 2002 remastering.
Some months later, in 2017, user BirdOfPrey12 found another difference in clips that both KrisTheKnight and ZOOMFan1 had uploaded: the fact that the "feather zinger" segment (the first segment of the entire series) ended with the zinger logo appearing in KrisTheKnight's version of the clip, despite being followed by a ZOOMDo in ZOOMFan1's upload of the episode. Because of this, having two zingers in a row didn't make sense at all. This suggests that some segments were rearranged in the 2002 remastering. To further confuse matters, it appears that some things were even moved to different episodes.
Evidence of this comes from the fact that ZOOMFan1 claims to have seen a skit in episode 136 that KrisTheKnight posted, but in the latter's clip, appears to come after a segment that ZOOMFan1 never saw.
When episodes 109, 112 and 130 were uploaded onto YouTube, the beginning and end of them are lost. However, everything from the end of the theme song to the credits is intact.
In short, there is a lot of mystery surrounding the remastering of season one, in addition to some of the season being a mystery itself, as 27 episodes are missing in their complete format, and there isn't a ton of information about them online yet.
Season 2 doesn't appear to have gone through nearly as many permanent edits in the remastering. Aside from episode 234, all the episodes of the season posted are from WGBY recordings. Episodes 202-233, 235-237, and 239 appear to be unchanged from their original broadcasts. The remaining four episodes, however, are a different story.
Episodes 201 and 240 notably feature short, 15-second stingers. They aren't shortened versions of anything, simply short website promos that were featured in the middle of some episodes. So the original stingers were clearly something different. It's possible that different episodes also used them, due to stingers advertising the website often being reused. While this is quite possibly the case for episode 201, it's less likely for episode 240. The last episode prior to episode 240 to have a website advertisement as the stinger was episode 229, meaning the 240s was more likely something original. However, a website advertisement used in episode 214 is related to a skit featured in episode 240; at about 23 seconds, it could possibly be a slightly shortened version of 240's stinger. It's also worth noting that several later season 2 episodes contain bloopers at the end, making that a possibility if the stinger was something original.
There also appear to be several missing "ZOOM a Cum Laude" segments for the season. This is evidenced by the fact that four episodes run under time. The first, episode 201, runs nearly a minute under time; this is partly due to the replacement stinger. The second, episode 234, runs about 40 seconds under time, about the length of a "ZOOM a Cum Laude" in the season. The third, episode 238, runs nearly a minute under time; this is partly due to a shorter version of the funding credits being used at the end of this episode and the next two (it is unknown if these shortened funding credits were featured in the original broadcast). The fourth and final one, episode 240, runs about a full minute under time; this is again in part due to the shortened funding credits, as well as the replacement singer. It should be noted that in the season 2 episodes containing "ZOOM a Cum Laude," each ZOOMer announces five or six apiece, except for Alisa, who only announces three. This seems to be further evidence that there were originally "ZOOM a Cum Laude" segments in these episodes.
However, that might not be the case for episode 201. User BirdOfPrey12 claims to remember a short skit in the middle of an early season 2 episode that isn't in any of ZOOMFan1's uploads. As episode 201 is the only early episode of the season to run under time, it's highly likely that it was this skit that was removed from the episode in addition to the full singer. This means that the episode either never contained a "ZOOM a Cum Laude" to begin with, or featured it as the stinger, like in episode 102.
Also of note is the fact that episode 234 reuses a non-standard shot of the cast saying, "Send it to ZOOM!" at the end of the closing rap, the only time a non-standard shot is reused. This could possibly mean that something different was originally used. Additionally, episodes 236, 238 and 239 go back to using the original standard shot featured in the first 21 episodes. However, as two of these three episodes appear to be unedited, it's highly likely that that was simply the way they were always shown.
Missing Things from Seasons 4-7
Because WGBY was the main station ZOOMFan1 recorded from, almost everything from the original airings of seasons 2 and 3 are available online. Some "ZOOM Into Action!" segments from seasons 4-7 narrated by the ZOOMers aren't, however, as WGBY featured its own version of the segment that didn't feature the ZOOMers and focused on different volunteers from those shown on the local versions. Currently, episodes 401, 404, 405, 410, 412, 413, 501, 503, 505, 507, 508, 509, 512, 518, 716, 717 and 718 are the only local ZITAs from the seasons available.
All episodes of season 6 notably showed the ZOOMers backstage during the credits, but on WGBY, it showed a select group of kids thanking viewers for "ZOOMing on WGBY." Episodes 703-709 of season 7 do this as well. All of the remaining uploads aside from 701, 712, 718 and 720 show standard credits (the first two were specials). Since several of the episodes with the groups of kids are from WGBY, it's possible that some of those featured the ZOOMers on the local versions. Meanwhile, episodes 602 (from a different source), 603, 616 and 618 are the only episodes with the local credits available. Both versions of the credits for episode 604 are missing, as ZOOMFan1's recording reuses episode 603's credits. It's also worth noting that episodes 610, 612, 615, and 620 are all under 28 minutes long; it's unlikely anything was removed in certain broadcasts, and merely due to the fact that season 6's episodes didn't have a standard length.
Local airings of seasons 4 and 5, interestingly, also featured brief shots of scenes from the respective episodes in the openings. Currently, only the versions of episodes 401, 405, 408, 503, 505, 507, and 508 (from a different source) and 518 are available.
"ZOOM Out The Vote"
From August to November of 2004, promos to support the election featuring current ZOOMers were featured on local airings in place of "Today on ZOOM" and the stingers. A few have been found and uploaded by ZOOMFan1, although some are still at large.
As ZOOM also aired during the 2000 election, it's possible that similar promos were aired at the time.
Miscellaneous Things
- In ZOOMFan1's recordings, there are two instances when the recording blacks out. Approximately 40 seconds of the ZOOMGuest segment in 236 is missing due to a glitch in the recording. It also blacks out briefly in episode 301 right after Caroline eats the edible spiders.
- It's possible that the special "The Making of ZOOM" featured a regular "Today on ZOOM" in airings after the remastering; half of ZOOMFan1's recording of it comes from a local station, but the beginning isn't featured. Of note is the fact that the recording doesn't contain the original stinger for the episode, a preview of season 2. ZOOMFan1 has confirmed that the WGBY version contained it, however. This means it was likely removed during the remastering due to being outdated, like the opening for 301. If so, this supports the idea that the local version contained a "Today on ZOOM" at the time.
Gallery
Stills (Season 1)
Pictures (Season 1)
Stills (Season 2)
See Also
Zoom
Bumpers
- Bookworm Bunch (partially found interstitials from PBS Kids channel block; 2000-2001)
- PBS Kids (partially lost schedule bumpers and interstitial material of children's channel block; 1999-present)
- Someday School (partially found PBS Kids channel block; 1998-2000)
PBS
- Christmastime with Mister Rogers (lost holiday TV special; 1977)
- Lamb Chop's Play-Along (partially lost PBS children's puppet series; 1992)
- Mister Rogers' Neighborhood "Mister Rogers Talks About Conflict" (found episode arc of PBS children's educational series; 1983)
- The Puzzle Place (partially found PBS puppet series; 1994-1998)
- Reading Rainbow (found Johnny Kemp opening sequence for PBS children's television series; 1999)
- Storytime (found PBS children's reading series; 1992-1998)
- Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? "Auld Lang Gone" (non-existent episode of PBS children's game show; 1992)
PBS Kids
- The Charlie Horse Music Pizza (partially lost PBS Kids "Lamb Chop's Play-Along" spin-off series; 1998-1999)
- Curious George (lost test pilot of PBS Kids animated series based on books; existence unconfirmed; 2004/2005)
- Cyberchase: The Poddleville Case (found pilot of PBS Kids animated educational series; 1999)
- Dragon Tales "One Small Step for Cassie" and "Circle of Friends" (lost pilots of PBS Kids animated series; 1999)
- The Good Night Show with Melanie/Leo (partially found PBS Kids Sprout series; 2005-2006)
- The Good Night Show with Nina & Star (partially found PBS Kids Sprout series; 2006-2017)
- Kratts' Creatures (found PBS children's educational series; 1996)
- Molly of Denali (partially found unaired pilot of PBS Kids animated series; 2018)
- Nature Cat (lost pilot of PBS Kids educational animated series; early 2010s)
- Preschool Musical... On a Stick (partially lost PBS Kids Sprout "High School Musical" parody; 2008)
- Space Race (partially found PBS Kids web series; 2011)
- What's The Big Idea? (lost original pilot of "Sid The Science Kid" PBS Kids CGI animated series; 2007)
- WordWorld (lost 2D/live-action test pilot of PBS Kids CGI animated educational series; existence unconfirmed; 2005)
References
- ↑ Archived 2004 article on the show's drop in ratings. Retrieved 26 Oct '21